Butterfly’s Lawyer Shocked By State Claims

Welheminah Maswabi’s lawyer, Unoda Mack says government misled the public after a minister claimed the DIS agent “Butterfly” had lost her defamation case Mack said the assertion by government was false, insisting that Maswabi’s case is still alive and scheduled for hearing on March 2, 2026. “I struggled to reconcile that statement with the truth and recent events, but all I can say is that it was a lie that Maswabi lost the case, and I was shocked to hear a minister of state saying this,” Mack said in an interview. The remarks follow a recent response by Assistant Minister of Communications and Innovation Shawn Nthaile, who was standing in for the Minister of State President, Defence and Security in Ntlo ya Dikgosi.

Responding to a question from Bangwato Paramount Chief Kgosi Ian Khama regarding Maswabi’s situation, Nthaile said government would neither apologise to nor compensate the intelligence operative. “The government will not apologise to Butterfly,” Nthaile told the House. “First, Maswabi will not be compensated as the court did not find that the State or its institutions acted unlawfully towards her, nor did it award any damages arising from her claim.” Nthaile further stated that Maswabi had already lost her defamation case.

“It is however important to clarify that Ms Welheminah Maswabi pursued her own defamation claim against the State and several institutions through the courts. The matter was fully heard by the High Court in Lobatse and was dismissed in its entirety, with costs,” he said. Mack flatly rejected the minister’s account, maintaining that the matter has not been concluded.